Warrant: Chester mom charged with child abuse after baby tests positive for meth
A Chester County mother has been charged with child abuse after her baby tested positive for meth, officials said.
Amanda Susan Watkins, 28, was charged late Tuesday after a month-long investigation by deputies and social services agents, said Max Dorsey, Chester County Sheriff. It’s the second time in less than a month that drug-related charges have been filed.
Watkins is charged with neglect or abuse of a child or helpless person, records show.
Watkins was arrested by deputies on Dec. 17, 2019 on charges of child neglect, meth possession, another drug charge and having contraband in the county jail, court records show.
She was released after posting bond, Chester County records show.
Those cases remain pending, court records show.
After her release, sheriff’s detectives started another probe because Watkins’ child tested positive in a South Carolina Department of Social Services case, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald. Both amphetamines and methamphetamine were found in the child’s system after a DSS test, warrants state.
“Watkins placed the child at unreasonable risk of harm, affecting the child’s life, physical health, mental health, and safety,” the warrants state.
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, according to the federal government National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Under South Carolina law, a conviction for child abuse or neglect can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Watkins remains in the Chester County jail.
